THE NEW YORK STATE VEGETABLE GROWERS' 

 ASSOCIATION AND ITS WORK 



Paul Work 



Superintendent and Instructor, Department of Vegetable Gardening, Cornell 

 University, Ithaca, N. Y. 



Over four years ago a small circle of New York vegetable men 

 were gathered in conversation in the lobby of the Hotel Secor in 

 Toledo. These men had journeyed from the Empire State to 

 attend the meeting of the Vegetable Growers' Association of 

 America. Within the circle the question arose as to why Xew 

 York State should not itself have meetings organized on as high 

 a plane as those of the national association. The idea was favor- 

 ably commented upon and as a result a questionaire was addressed 

 to a number of the commercial producers of the state inquiring 

 as to whether they would be willing to support a state association. 

 Replies were favorable and a call was issued for a meeting to 

 consider the matter of organization. During Farmers' Week of 

 1911 it was decided to establish such a society and twenty-seven 

 men became members at that time. About as many more men who 

 were unable to be present at Ithaca joined the association within 

 the first few months. From that day to this the growth has been 

 steady, amounting to about 25 per cent, per year. The early 

 months of 1915 point to a much more rapid increase in the enroll- 

 ment, and the association seems now to be firmly on its feet. 



Two features of the development in membership have been par- 

 ticularly encouraging. From the first the membership has in- 

 cluded leading growers from every corner of the state, and at 

 present hardly an important producing center is unrepresented. 

 Even more important than this has been the marked develop- 

 ment in interest on the part of members. A large number of men 

 are willing to give time, thought and energy to the activi- 

 ties of the organization, and a spirit of solidarity and of willing- 

 ness to cooperate is developing in a marked degree. 



The association began with comparatively few and simple ac- 

 tivities. Each year has witnessed the introduction of some new 



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